As the need for electricity continues to grow, the need for higher capacity transmission and distribution lines grows as well. The amount of power a transmission line can deliver is dependent on the current-carrying capacity (ampacity) of the line. The ampacity of a line, however, is limited by the maximum safe operating temperature of the bare conductor that carries the current. Exceeding this temperature can result in damage to the conductor or to the transmission and distribution line accessories. The conductor temperature is determined by the cumulative effect of heating and cooling on the line. The conductor is heated by Ohmic losses and solar heat and cooled by conduction, convection and radiation. The amount of heat generated due to Ohmic losses depends on the current (I) and the electrical resistance (R) of the conductor and is determined by the relationship that Ohmic losses=I2R. Electrical resistance (R) itself is further dependent on temperature. Higher current and temperature leads to higher electrical resistance, which, in turn, leads to greater electrical losses in the conductor.
Several solutions have been proposed in the art to create higher capacity transmission and distribution lines. For example, overhead conductors coated with spectrally selective surface coatings are known. Such coatings can have a coefficient of heat emission (E) higher than 0.7 and coefficient of solar absorption (A) that is less than 0.3. Such coatings can be white in color to lower solar absorption.
Prior to a coating, a transmission or distribution line is typically cleaned or otherwise prepared to receive the coating. While, there are existing technologies available separately for cleaning and coating for different purposes, the technology is not suitable for cleaning all kinds of dirt on various size of the lines. Furthermore, existing technologies are not suitable for cleaning and applying a coating to live (i.e., in-situ) transmission or distribution lines. Instead, such coatings can only be applied to the transmission and distribution lines during manufacture of the lines, or at least at a point in time prior to the installation of the lines. Many millions of linear feet of lines are installed and actively carrying current that could benefit from the application of various coatings and/or other type of treatments. Furthermore, in addition to transmission and distribution lines, other types of wires and cabling (i.e., bridge cables, guy-wires, support lines, etc.) could benefit from various surface treatments and/or coatings. Therefore, there is a need for a system for preparing and treating overhead cabling in-situ.